Chapter 118 – Confessions of a Samurott

Pokémon Village, months ago…

Hunter broke free of his parents embrace and became interested in Ashachu.

"Rio Rio." He came over to sniff the small mouse in Pikachu's arms. He held up his paw.

"I think Hunter must like Ashachu's aura," said Lucario.

"Pichu Pi." Pichu seemed to take kindly to Hunter. He raised his much smaller paw in imitation of the Riolu and the two touched.

"Pi Pi." Ashachu giggled cutely then gave a yawn…

[Pokémon]

Pallet town, present day…

The first annual Alola Pokémon League tournament will continue to be held on Ula'ula Island despite the recent terrorist activity in the region. It's been just forty-eight hours since the skies went dark and interdimensional portals, known by scientists as Ultra-wormholes appeared in the skies.

Many inhabitants of the region claimed to have witnessed a Growlithe-fight in the skies between a stolen secret government aircraft and the infamous Team Plasma Frigate. The latter being the same unidentified flying object that froze Oppelucid City in the Unova region only a few months ago.

During the daily press briefing yesterday, the Prime Minister's press secretary Jack Spicer vehemently denied the existence of any such secret aircraft, or the presence of Team Plasma in the Alola region.

"I am informed that the rumours about the presence of Team Plasma in Alola are not true. Interpol have assured me that they've been quite since their altercation with Team Flare and the affects of the anti-villain propaganda legislation disrupting their rallies. The idea of a secret government aircraft being stolen is simply not true. It is a conspiracy theory…"

"No, I have not spoken to the Prime Minister about this…"

The government did not release a statement about the alleged presence of an Ultra Beast known as Necrozma or the blinding one, which rumours say escaped from Aether Paradise at the same time. The damage to the Aether Foundation is being attributed to attacks by Ultra Beasts who emerged from the ultra-wormhole during the cosmic activity.

Although the presence of ultra-beasts in the region has been confirmed, the government has been keen to reassure the public they are safe.

"We have a dedicated Interpol team studying and monitoring beast activity in the region. Any beasts in the region will be rounded up and captured. There are no reports of beast activity in any major settlement. Members of the public should be cautious in the wilderness and should reported any beasts sighted to Interpol."

A dedicated hotline has been set up…

The Alola tournament, a project of the Aether Foundation, has been financially guaranteed by Galarian businessman Rose, Chairman of the Marco Cosmos conglomerate, president of the Galar Pokémon league and long-time supporter and donor to the Aether Foundation.

"I believe that a minor and unpredictable set back such as this should not rob the talented trainers and their partners of the opportunity to compete. I am proud to financially guarantee the league in Alola, which up to now has not had a Pokémon league. Preparations for the league to recommence should be finalised in a few weeks."

Whether trainers and spectators will return to the league remains to be seen. This is the third competition to have been interrupted by terrorists and disasters since the Kalos League. Before the cosmic incident occurred, one of the events was interrupted by a local hoodlum group known as Team Skull. A sleep-inducing Pokémon attack was used to interfere with spectators and disrupt a battle. While there were no serious injuries, a few people were hospitalised, and the incident has left some extremely angry. Chairman Rose promised security would be improved.

"My organisation has made safety and security a number one priority. I'd like to assure everyone present that we will tighten security around the league to make sure there are no repeats of the incident with Team Skull or like the other acts of terrorism we have seen recently."

Although Team Skull uses the word team in its name, similar to the other organised crime and terrorist organisations that have become household names in recent years such as Team Rocket or Team Flare, they are not on the Justice Department's list of major security threats and are regarded by authorities as a local threat.

The Alolan Police Department told this reporter that they are mainly made up of misfits and disaffected local youths and engage in petty crimes such as stealing. They have no specific goal as an organisation other than to cause trouble and acquire money for themselves. Since they were forced out of their hide out in Po Town, many of their members have been arrested and are currently held in the Alola Juvenile correctional facility.

"Yeah. We forced them out," said Cameron drily. His eyes were still red from the night before, but he mostly slept off his hangover. "Any mention of that. We took them down."

It was early the evening, and the three trainers, Pikachu, Thunderbolt, Lucario, Hunter, Typhlosion and Nova were watching the television set in Professor Oak's living room.

"Anyone could have beaten those idiots," muttered Ash. "They were almost as bad as Team Rocket, except there were more of them!... Probably for the best they don't mention us though, all things considered."

This announcement almost as the special counsel into unlawful Pokémon experimentation and its connections to the Tabuu administration delivered its interim report to the Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday. The committee has voted not to make the report or its recommendations public, pending a review by the Attorney-General. Attorney-General Kristina Kochanski has not commented publicly on the report.

The committee has not yet voted on whether to renew the special counsel's mandate…

That's your GNN News update to the hour. Stay tuned for the Law Report, where our Senior legal affairs correspondent Damien Carrick will bring you the latest news from the courts and the developments in the law. Top story tonight, a researcher at the Eevee Evolution Lab suing his former employer for unfair dismiss and discrimination after he was terminated following revelations, he had engaged in sexual intercourse with all of the evolutions of Eevee living at the facility, and may have spawned upwards of 40 eggs…

That's next on the Law Report…

"Ugh, this is boring, is there anything else on," Cameron groaned, as the newsroom jingled started to play in the background.

Jimmy picked up the controls and flicked around the channels. A movie, at least two re-runs and the replay highlights of the Sinnoh Grand festival. "Nothing good." He flicked the television set off with a click of a button.

"I can't believe they're really going to deny that incident with the Halberd," grumbled Lucario. "I mean…We were there. Others were there. Everybody saw it."

"Well, they're not exactly going to tell people that the government was building a super all powerful military aircraft only for it to get stolen by Team Rocket are they," yawned Cameron. "Stolen twice too."

Lucario shook his head. "I'll never understand how you humans do things. Pokémon never tell lies."

"What do you reckon. Are either of you two going to back and finish the Alola league off?" Cameron asked, his tone suddenly cheerier as he got up and stretched.

Ash looked up at him and frowned. He put his arms around Pikachu, who was sitting in his lap, and hugged him closer. "Are you sure that's a good idea. After everything that happened?"

Cameron shrugged. "No idea. I can't see what Lusamine would want with us now. Her plan failed. Team Rocket ran off with Necrozma, along with all the legendary Pokémon on in the Zeraora guild. Aether Paradise was destroyed. What more could happened."

"After everything that's happened to us recently," said Ash. "I'm willing to bet everything. You aren't thinking of re-entering were you!"

"Eh, still a long time to the Hoenn League."

"But you haven't got all your badges yet," said Jimmy.

"I got most of them," Cameron replied. "I think. Besides, that contest is a good way to boost rankings. Especially as we don't need badges to enter."

Before any of the others could reply, the door to the room creaked open, and the sound of the paws on carpet made them look around. Geyser had entered, along with the strong smell of fish. In his jaws he was clutching what appeared to be a dead Magikarp.

"Geyser," said Ash. "What are you doing with that thing. Don't bring that in here."

Geyser ignored him and asked, "Umm is Hunter in here. I kind of need to talk to him."

Hunter had been dozing with his back against the side of the couch, bored by the news. He awoke at the call of his name and rose to look at Geyser. He wiped the sleep from his eyes with his paws.

"Geyser."

"Hunter," whispered Geyser urgently. A little colour had risen in his face. "About last night…I want to."

"Seriously." Hunter folded his arm, a scowl crossing his face. "I don't want to."

"I wanted to apologise to you. I mean it, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I never should have…" Geyser stopped halfway through his sentence looking around at the others present. Realising he shouldn't reveal details about what had happened with Blade under the tree in front of the others. "Umm. Should we go outside. I mean. Could I please have a moment of your time in private. I just really want to talk to you!"

Hunter coxed his head and considered him for a moment. His parents, and the other humans and Pokémon remained quite out of respect.

"Okay fine! Outside."

"Good, get that thing out of here," muttered Ash.

[Pokémon]

"Hunter….I'm just so sorry," exclaimed Geyser once the two of them were outside and alone together. He bowed his head, the dead Magikarp still dangling from his teeth. "I shouldn't participated in that thing with Blade last night. I should have asked if you were okay. I should have stood up for you live Nova did. I certainly shouldn't have struck you the way I did with razor shell. I'm sorry Hunter."

"Hmmm." Hunter continued to frown at Geyser, his arms folded. There was a somewhat awkward moment of silence as he tried to think of what to say to Geyser, but nothing came to mind. But Geyser was not finished…

"I know I can' take back what I did, but I promise it'll never happen again…I still…R-really like you."

Geyser sniffled, and Hunter was surprised to see tears rolling over the bridge of his muzzle as the Samurott hung his head. It softened his heart just a little bit.

"You know it hurt like the distortion world when you hit me," Hunter said.

"I know…I wasn't thinking properly. I didn't think it through. I'm sorry Hunter. I really am!"

A weak smile crossed Hunter's face. He was finding hard not to feel a little sorry for Geyser, and that made the resentment for the night before ebb just a little bit. "You know if you hadn't hit me so hard. If it had just stayed at that point of mixed pain and pleasure, it would have been fun."

"What." Geyser wiped his eyes with his right claw and raised his head to look at Hunter. "What are you?"

"When I made that stupid bet with Blade, I assumed he's tie me up and edge my cock if I lost. Maybe some light paws play like we did with Ashachu. I thought I'd be though enough to take that and not beg the little slut either, unlike Ashachu. I never thought he'd actually do anything that would so painful. Or push past a boundary we hadn't discussed. After all, the last time we made that same bet, all I did was tie him up and do a little bit of light teasing. You probably assumed it was something like that, so it's not really your fault."

Geyser looked at Hunter with shinning eyes."

"You mean."

Hunter nodded. "I forgive you. Of course I forgive you. You're family Geyser. After everything we've been through together and all the enemies we have, we can't afford not to be friends. Plus….I like you too!"

The Riolu's words made Geyser's heart skip a beat. "Y-you mean it…Y-you like me that way too."

"Come on, dry those tears." Hunter grinned as he stepped forward towards Geyser, so their noses were nearly touching. He put one paw on the base of Geyser's chin, running his fingers along the Samurott's maw line. With the other, he wiped the remaining tears from Geyser's eyes, one at a time.

"H-hunter…C-can I…"

Geyser didn't need to finish the questions. The little lick Hunter gave him on the end of his nose was answer enough. He opened his jaws, allowing the dead Magikarp to drop, before pressing his face into Hunter's.

Hunter brought both his paws up, so they were gripping Geyser's cheeks, just below his eyes. He opened his maw allowing the Samurott's large tongue to enter and wrap around his own. The sensation of their two tongues pressed together, of Geyser's muzzle rubbing against his and the warm fur under the pads of his paws sent a shiver of pleasure down Hunter's spine.

Even if it was slightly undercut by the fishy taste on Geyser's breath and tongue.

"I love you Hunter," Geyser breathed as they parted. "I mean it, I've had a crush on you since the night we were chased by Necrozma in the jungle. You have no idea how much this means to me."

"You know what. I love you to," giggled Hunter, a wide grin spreading over his face. "Seriously though, what's with the fish."

"Oh that." Geyser blushed slightly. "It was kind of stupid. You see, in Samurott culture, it's customary to gift your one true mate a Slowpoke tail. Like what humans call a marriage proposal. All Oshawott and Dewott crave to try Slowpoke tail. Some Samurott use other sea food as substitutes though. Clampearl usually."

Hunter folded his arms and frowned again. Though this time it was a joking friendly frown. "And this was the best substitute you could find."

Geyser sat on his haunches, raised his right paw and rubbed the back of his head. "Errr…Pretty much, yeah."

Hunter rolled his eyes, dramatically. "I wish you'd chosen something that made your breath smell better. Seriously though, come here you."

He leapt onto Geyser, throwing his arms around his neck, and pressing his muzzle against his so as to kiss Geyser again. Geyser reciprocated by putting an arm around Hunter's back to hold him in place and pressing his tongue once more into the Riolu's mouth. They closed their eyes, enjoying each other's tastes, the feel of each other's fur and the warmth of each other's bodies.

[Pokémon]

"Chari…

Ashachu returned to the cave to find Charizard asleep with his back against the wall. Charichu lay on his chest, also napping, with an arm hugging his tail. One of Charizard's claws was resting lazily on his lower back.

"Zza…" Charizard opened a lazy orange eye at the sound of Ashachu's voice. "You're back."

"How's the hatchling," Ashachu asked.

Charizard lifted his head to look fondly down at Charichu. "Perfect. He's perfect."

"You know everyone else is keen to meet him. My parents especially."

Charizard snorted. "In time."

"C'mon Chari," Ashachu sighed. "Ash and Pikachu are my parents. And his grandparents. Can't keep putting them off forever."

Charizard grunted. He shifted as though to get up, but Ashachu crawled on top of him. The Raichu clambered up to his neck and put two paws on his cheeks, before licking Charizard across the muzzle. Charizard extended his tongue so as to allow Ashachu to kiss him, and at the same time lifted the claw that was not resting on Charichu and placed it on Ashachu's back.

"Wild Charizard keep their offspring in nests for weeks after they hatch," he growled when the broke apart. "Charichu hasn't even been outside this cave yet. He needs longer. Hmm. I wanted to raise him the Charcific valley. Away from humans."

Ashachu perched himself on Charizard's collarbone and coxed his head. He stared deeply into Charizard's eyes. Deep blue in colour and blazing with intensity. "Even after all this time," he said softly, giving Charizard a soft smile. "You don't trust humans, do you. Even though you trust and have a strong bond with my dad, you can't bare the thought of Charichu bonding with a human. Lest he be abandoned too!"

Charizard's eyes narrowed. "I don't want to talk about that!"

"You did once. When I was at the lowest point in my life. Bawling my eyes out in the wreckage of a Team Rocket Mecha. You put you claw on my side, and licked my ear, and told me what happened to you."

"I said I don't want to talk about it!"

"How it meant you understood my pain. Because Da…."

"DON'T….Say that name."

Ashachu recoiled. Charizard hadn't growled or snarled, but there was a finality to his voice that indicated to Ashachu that this line of conversation was closed. At the same time, Charizard removed his claw from Ashachu's back, and wrapped both of his arms firmly around Charichu's. Hugging the Charmander closer to himself.

Ashachu chose that moment to leap off Charizard and back onto the cave floor. Charizard sat up and raised himself onto his feet. "I'm hungry," he grumbled. "And Charichu will need feeding when he wakes." He stretched his back and extended his wings. "Will you watch Charichu while I go find food. I won't be long."

He placed the little Charmander on the ground. As his scales touched the hard floor, Charichu's eyes opened and he looked around, sniffing the air heavily. His head tilted up towards Charizard, though his gaze was off slightly being unable to see.

"Zaard…"

Charizard lowered his head and licked Charichu several time across the face as he settled him on the ground. Charichu closed his eyes again and wrapped his arms around his tail, hugging to him.

Ashachu frowned as he watched Charichu's tail flame waving near his face. "Won't he burn himself doing that."

"We can't get burned by our own tail flames," said Charizard. "Nor those of other chars." He moved towards the entrance of the cave. "I won't be…Ough."

As he was trying to exit, a pair of golden-yellow claw suddenly appeared and shoved him in the wall. Dragonite burst into the cave, a wide-eyed expression on his face and his egg clutched in his arms. It was glowing brightly. Flashes of light filled the cave, causing Ashachu to raise his paw to shield his eyes from the brightness.

"What in the distortion world do you think you're doing," Charizard growled angrily, grabbing Dragonite by the arm. "You can't just barge into our nest like this."

Dragonite ignored him. His focused was entirely fixed on Ashachu. "A-Ashachu," he cried, his voice elevated. "I-I think it's happening."

Ashachu felt his stomach turn over. "Wh-what…Do you mean."

"The egg," Dragonite shouted, his voice reverberating off the walls. "It's hatching."

Charizard gave him a harder tug on his arm, spinning Dragonite around to face him. "What do you think you're doing," he all but snarled, pressing his face into Dagonite's. "How dare you burst in here unannounced and without permission. If you invaded a wild Charizard's cave like this, you'd get the shit beaten out of you."

Dragonite seemed taken aback by Charizard's reaction, but he stood his ground. He pulled his arm free of Charizard grip and roared at him. His loud voice bounced off the walls, nearly deafening poor Ashachu who covered his large ears with his paws. Charizard recoiled, his claws dropping to his sides and his head pulling away from Dragonite.

Miraculously, Charichu continued to dose.

Dragonite turned back to Ashachu. He dropped to his knees, bending his back so he was closer to the Raichu's level. The egg was still clutched to his chest. "The egg. Its about to hatch. Y-you're its parent too. You need to be here for the hatching."

Ashachu felt a lurch in his stomach and his throat went dry…he was about to become a parent. Again! He briefly wondered how he'd gotten himself into this situation. He looked into Dragonite's wide eyes for a moment and then to the egg. Flashes of white shone from its otherwise pale blue surface.

"Hmmp…" Charizard snorted. He folded his arms and glowered from behind Dragonite but said nothing.

"Dragonite," came a voice from the entrance to the cave and Flygon stuck his head inside.

Charizard whipped around and snarled at him, "GET OUT," belching flames as he did so.

Flygon withdrew immediately.

Neither Ashachu nor Dragonite really noticed this, too preoccupied on the glowing egg. The light had become almost blinding. The egg burst into pieces and a cute serpentine Pokémon with powder blue scales came out, looking at them with wide eyes. The white light faded away.

"Congratulations," Charizard growled patting Dragonite on the back.

Ashachu's heart skipped a beat. The newly hatched Dratini…his Dratini… was almost twice as long as he was tall from its nose to the tip of its tail. It had a large button-like nose and three-pronged fins on each side of its head. The scales on its underbelly were cream in colour, not dissimilar to Dragonite's, and a tiny horn grew out of the middle of its forehead.

"Tini…" Dratini looked at them with wide eyes.

"Hi," said Ashachu reaching out with his paw to stroke the side of Dratini's face. "I…I'm Ashachu, nice to meet you."

"…Mander!" It was at that moment that Charichu opened his eyes and raised his head. Finally awoken by the commotion or perhaps something else. He wiped the drool from his maw with his claw and rose to his feet, stepping over to Dratini.

For a moment the two infant Pokémon looked at each other (or appeared to in Charichu's case). Then they smile, opening their maws in wide toothy grins, before embracing each other. Charichu put his arms around Dratini's neck and hugged his upper body, while Dratini rested his head against his Charichu's chest and wrapped the end of his tail around his back.

"Char…"

"Tini…"

"Char. Mander."

"Dra-tini."

It was painfully cute, and Ashachu felt the memory of the first few moments of his life surface in his memory. Of his tiny body being picked up in the, then much larger, Riolu's paw.

"Awww…Looks like someone's made a fast friend," mused Dragonite, with a soft laugh.

"They're both aura users," growled Charizard, his eyes narrowing. "It must draw them to each other."

Not wanting to break apart the hug to pick Dratini up, Dragonite knelt beside him and ran his claw down the serpentine Pokémon's back. A smile spread across his maw.

Charizard folded his arms and surveyed them for a moment. Then he growled impatiently, "okay, is the miracle of new life over yet … Good!" He suddenly grabbed a hold of Dragonite's tail and started dragging him toward the entrance of the cave.

"Ahh…What are you doing? Hey, stop that…"

Dragonite gave a cry of surprise as fell flat on his stomach. He tried to get back up and pull his tail free, but only succeeded in falling over again. As he felt himself being pulled out of the cave, he dug his claws into the ground in a desperate attempt to stop himself being dragged away, but to no avail.

"Stop…Stop. No. Nooo!"

"I'll teach you to invade my nest," Charizard roared triumphantly.

He briefly made eye contact with Ashachu, his expression almost comical in desperation, before Charizard succeeded in pulling him by his tail from the cave. The air quickly filled with the sound of Dragonite being punished.

"No…NOOOOOOOO!"